adolescence doesn't make sense
by lola coppola
Summary: "High school sucked. It was a universal truth, and whoever said these were supposed to be the best years of your life was probably drunk or delusional." -—The Titans, in every way possible. [AU]
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to my high school!AU of Teen Titans! Here is where I take out my guilty pleasure for cheesy high school clichés on my favourite characters to ever exist. I hope you enjoy going on this journey with me and I make a promise (that I will hopefully keep) and update every week._

_**Grade 12s (Seniors)**__ - Victor Stone (Cyborg), Karen Beecher (Bumblebee), Koma Anders (Blackfire), Leonid Kovar (Red Star), John Gnaark (Gnaark), Malcom Duncan (Herald), Ryuku Orsono (Bushido), Baran Flinders (Mammoth), Rosabelle Melendez (Pantha)_

_**Grade 11s (Juniors)**__- Dick Grayson (Robin), Kory Anders (Starfire), Rachel Roth (Raven), Roy Harper (Speedy), Wally West (Kid Flash), Jason Todd (Red X), Garth Curry (Aqualad), Jeni Luck (Jinx), Isaiah Crockett (Hot Spot), Donna Troy (Wonder Girl), Katherine Van Cleer (Kitten), Seymour Richardson (See-More)_

_**Grade 10s (Sophomores)**__- Garfield Logan (Beast Boy) Tara Markov (Terra), Kole Weathers (Kole), Toni Monetti (Argent), Joseph Wilson (Jericho)_

* * *

><p><span>First Period<span>  
><span>English 11<span>

"Good morning, Jump City High! I'm your senior president, Karen Beecher and today is Monday, October 28th, Day 2." Karen's face popped on the TV screen in the corner of a junior English class. "Before starting off today's announcements, congratulations to our very own Jade Nguyen for coming in first in the Martial Arts Provincials and Dick Grayson for coming in second! We wish both of you luck in Nationals!"

"Beaten by Jade Nguyen," Jason Todd sniggered. "Good job, Dick."

"Shut up, Jason. We weren't versing against each other."

"Moving straight to announcements, seniors, your grad transitions are to be completed and handed in to Ms. Mae-Eye's room by Friday at the latest. Remember that these are mandatory. Newspaper Club has a meeting today at lunch in Ms. Zhang's room. Arts Council is holding a meeting today as well in Ms. Mathers' room until 3:30." Karen smiled at the camera, causing a few of the boys upfront to sigh.

"Student Council has a meeting tomorrow afterschool starting at 4:00 until 7:00, posters are being put up around school for Club Day."

Rachel Roth sighed. She didn't need reminding that you needed eighty service hours to graduate.

"And finally, don't forget we're having out first ever dance of the year this Thursday on Halloween night! Remember to wear a costume. It will be held in the large gym and tickets are being sold in the atrium this lunch! They're only $7.00."

Jason snorted.

"You won't be seeing me at that lame ass dance," he muttered to Dick.

Karen looked at the paper in the hands and coughed, containing a laugh.

"Uhm, Principal Wilson would just like me to remind the students to wear _appropriate_ attire for the dance. That means you, freshmen," Karen grinned. "And that's all the announcements for today. Have a nice day!" With a blip, her face disappeared into a screen of black.

"Okay, class," Mr. Williams began in his painstakingly monotone voice. "Following our completion of _Animal Farm_, we'll be beginning a brand new novel today, _1984_ by George Orwell. Has anyone heard of this modern classic before?"

Rachel put her hand up, grinning slightly. Finally, an interesting novel.

"Rachel. Not a surprise. Do you mind giving a brief description of the novel?" Mr. Williams asked her, his empty eyes meeting hers.

_Public speaking. Great._

"Well, it takes place in a dystopian future where the country is at war-"

Roy Harper loudly snored behind her. The class laughed.

"Mr. Harper. Principal Wilson's office. Now." Mr. Williams retorted. "Maybe if we're lucky, he'll suspend you from Archery club and you can spend more time in your classes. Actually learning, this time around."

Roy shot Mr. Williams a glare and left the classroom whistling to himself, not failing to flip him the finger when the door closed.

"Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Rita. Continue."

"Mr. Williams, you've had me since freshman year, my name's Rac-"

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Roy Harper, if you think you can waltz right in here all over again, you have another thing coming!"

The door opened to reveal a much older boy around twenty-something, with blonde hair that was nearly white. He wore a suit that looked like it was ironed on him. He had a laptop bag around his shoulder and a Starbucks coffee in the other hand.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! Traffic was hell. I'm Rory, I'm here for the T.A. job."

"Of course, of course!" Mr. Williams leapt up from the projector that he was leaning on. "Class, this is your new teacher's assistant, Rory Nol from Gotham University. He'll be here to assist, well obviously, me and you as well. Please welcome him graciously in our wonderful space of knowledge."

Jason gagged. Mr. Williams shot him a look.

Rory gave a subtle wave and grinned. His eyes met Rachel's, causing an unfamiliar piercing feeling in her stomach. She looked down at her copy of _1984 _and smiled to herself. Maybe English class wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

><p><span>Early Morning<span>  
><span>Varsity track team try-outs<span>

_Deep breaths. Counts of seven._

Tara Markov tightens the laces on her red Nike runners. She finds her mark, takes a swig of Gatorade and places it on the charcoal track. She ties her golden hair in a ponytail, stretching her calfs while she's at it.

"Yeah, Tara!" she hears screams from the stands, only to find Kole Weathers, Toni Monetti, and Joseph Wilson clapping wildly. She waves at them and blows an over-dramatic kiss.

"Nice fangirls," Wally West commented, coming out of nowhere and giving her crooked smirk.

"They're my friends," Tara replied shortly. "I don't see any of yours cheering you on."

"That's because I actually have cheerleaders," he waves at a group of freshmen on the sidelines, who start screaming shrilly.

"Jesus."

"Yeah, I guess you could say he's cheering for me too."

She rolled her eyes. It was honestly just a try-out for a place on the Varsity track team. She knew she had reserved herself a spot last year when Coach Oatway was so impressed with her that she allowed freshmen like Más and Menos to try out as well.

"Well, Tara, let the best man win," said Wally. "Me, Más, or Menos. But realistically, me."

She ignored him. Tara hears nothing except Coach Oatway blowing her whistle, causing the crowd to erupt in cheer. And then she feels the weight coming back just behind her knees, then down to her feet, and then into the earth and she is off and weightless again, flying past the other runners, her arms pumping up and down and the whole world is quiet except for the crunch as she zooms over the gravel in the track.

She glances to her left and there is no one. To her right, a blurred Wally, who's got his chin jutting out as if it would win the race all by itself. She sees a dark-haired boy leaning next to a fence with a wide toothy grin, staring at her as she runs. But the white ribbon is bouncing towards her and she tears past it, racing into the distance till her feet with a mind of their own begin digging up footfalls of dirt and brake her short.

Then all her friends are standing on the side pile with her, banging her on the back and slapping her head with their papers, for she has won again and all the sophomores can stand a little taller for another year.

She comes up to Wally, hand out in handshake. "The best man wins, right?"

He returns the grin. "Nice job, Tara. I'll be seeing you at Track then."

She waves goodbye, returns Kole's hug and laughs at Toni's photos of Tara running with the wind pulling her mouth back and showing her teeth.

"Real attractive, Tara, truly."

She can't help but look for the boy sitting next to the fence, and she sees him. And she smiles. Because he knows that she knows she's good, no doubt about it. He nods to congratulate her and then he smiles. They stand there with this big smile of respect between them. And it's real.

* * *

><p><span>Lunch<span>

Victor Stone doesn't enjoy U.S. History. Every time Ms. Hawley talks about black slavery, she looks at Victor with a guilty expression.

When the bell rings he rushes out of the room, not bothering to look back at anyone; he shoves past the swarm of students piling out of class and is pulled into the tide of teenagers rushing off to the cafeteria and class.

Victor meets up with Garfield Logan at the cafeteria's entrance and snorts at the sight of his friend picking his nose. Grinning, Victor musses Gar's hair, smug over the many inches of height he has over him, then rushes inside the cafeteria before Gar can kill him.

The table they usually sit at is empty except for Karen. She's slathering ketchup over her hot dog when he takes a seat in front of her, and she looks up with a smile, eyes bright.

"Hey, Victor!" She finishes pouring the ketchup on her hot dog before taking a bite. "Did you have a nice weekend? I didn't see you at Koma's party."

Victor smiles sheepishly, pulling his lunch bag out of his bag and setting on the table. "I didn't go. I had a Metalworking project due last period so I spent all weekend working on it."

"Like a loser," says Roy, coming out of nowhere and sliding into the seat next to Karen. He slings his arm on the back of her chair and smirks at Victor. "It was a great party, robot boy. And you missed it for a pile of blueprints."

"I think it's good that Victor is focused on his studies," Karen says, turning to Roy with a frown. "And didn't I hear you spent half the night puking in the bathroom?"

Roy turns to Karen, grin tight. "I thought we agreed not to talk about that."

"Oh." Karen blinks. "No, we agreed to not talk about you kissing Jade Nguyen."

"_Karen!"_

Victor sets down the sandwich he had been about to bite. Jade's the last person Roy would hook up with; Roy and her always bicker and taunt each other. They hardly agree on anything and the nicest thing he's heard Roy call her is "psychopathic bitch with a knife problem."

"You hooked up with _Jade_?"

Roy shushes him, glances around the cafeteria. Once he's sure no one's heard anything, he turns to look back at Karen, Victor and Gar. "By all means, Victor, yell it to the entire student body. We only made out for like an hour. It hardly even counted, besides, it was a drunken mistake. We all know I have those every once in a while."

Karen snorts. "That's an understatement."

"Shut up." Roy throws a balled paper napkin at her, hitting her straight in her chest, causing Karen to throw a chunk of her hot dog and hit Roy straight in the eye who made a disgusted sound and went to the washroom to clean up.

There's a few minutes of silence between them while they eat. At one point Gar pulls out his bio notebook and starts to go over his notes despite the fact he knows he's going to pass the exam.

"So..." Gar looks up at his friends, gnawing on his lip with sharp teeth. "Did you two see Tara today?"

"She sits next to me in Calculus," Karen takes a swig from her water bottle.

"She's beautiful," Gar mumbles, causing his friends' heads to rise immediately. "I saw her beat Wally at the track race. She's pretty incredible."

"She's new," says Karen. "She was in Murakami, the private school, but transferred here after her mom died."

"Should've stayed there if you ask me," Roy cuts in, coming back from the washroom, his eye slightly red. "Total nut-job."

Karen glares at Roy. "She called you ugly in your second period, Roy. That is not a sign of insanity."

Roy scowls. "That _is_ a sign of insanity."

"I think she was right." Victor smirks when Roy turns to him, a vein visibly twitching above his eyebrow. He almost laughs, but then his gaze flickers to the seat next to him, and his smile drops. "Hey, Karen, where's Garth?"

"He told me he had to speak to someone in his bio class about something." She frowns down at her half-eaten hot dog.

"So, are you guys going to the Halloween dance?" Victor asked. "It seems kind of freshman, but hey."

Roy snorted. "No, everyone in junior year is going to Wally's for an _actual_ party."

"Ugh, I have to go," Karen groaned. "Represent student council and all that jazz."

"You're the one that wanted to be president," Victor replied.

"And you guys are the ones that voted for me," Karen snapped, taking a bite of her hot dog.

"Only because if we didn't, you said you'd put beehives in our lockers."

Karen laughs at the looks on Roy's face, ignores the glare sent her way, and grins at her boys.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And that's a wrap. If you liked it, please don't forget to review! And I would really appreciate if you didn't favourite the story without reviewing.


	2. Chapter 2

"Koma, arise!" Kory Anders ripped off the covers off of her sister. "We are tardy!"

"Oh, for God's sakes, Kory," Koma Anders let out a muffled grown in her pillow. "Five more minutes."

"It has been two hours!" Kory yelled, applying blush in the hollow of her cheekbone, letting out an exasperated sigh when she realized how uneven it was. "This is why you don't throw a party the day before school!"

Koma groaned. "Yell at me one more time and I'll rip your throat out."

Kory gave her sister one last, pointed look and then took her schoolbag and swung it over her shoulder. Nose in the air, she left her hungover sister on the bed. She ran downstairs, plucked an apple from the fruit bowl and bit into it. Her host family, while very nice, were scared off the first time they tried to wake up Koma for school. Since then, Kory put her faith in her alarm clock.

She twirled her car keys around her finger and jumped into her sister's convertible. Let Koma get a carpool from one of her friends, rather than having her drive hungover.

Going over the speeding limit just a little bit, she pulled into Jump City High's parking lot into the space that was reserved for Koma.

Well, when she says "reserved".

Checking her watch, it was 12:15. Lunch was about to end. She walked into the cafeteria, her eyes searching for Donna Troy. Finding the familiar curly ponytail, she let out a relieved sigh and made her way to her.

"Sweet party, Koma!" a senior she didn't know winked at her.

"You have mistaken me for my sister." Kory replied quietly, but the boy already passed her.

Letting out a quiet sigh, she pulled out the chair across of Donna and sat down.

"Good afternoon, friend," Kory greeted Donna.

"Kory," Donna looked at her with worried eyes. "Why weren't you in English today?"

Kory sighed, "The party that Koma thr-"

The bell rang suddenly, causing Donna to pick up her binder and textbook. "I really wanna hear what happened, Kor, but I have to make it to History and ask Ms. Hawley about my Greek Mythology essay. We'll talk after school, okay?"

Kory barely heard her. She nodded, giving her a small smile and watching her black hair swing side to side as she left. She stayed at the table for a few moments, watching others push in their chairs and grab their bags. She noticed Jade Nguyen smirk wickedly at an angry Roy Harper. She was laughing at whatever he was saying, although he was turning beet red and shaking his head.

On the other side of the cafeteria was Dick Grayson and Wally West, leaned against the wall. Katherine Van Cleer was practically throwing herself at Dick. If he was reciprocating any feelings at all, Kory couldn't tell. Dick always wore black shades, and the teachers had gotten so used to it that no one asks him to take them off anymore.

Katherine blew him a kiss, causing Wally to gag over dramatically, and the three of them went in their separate ways. Kory checked her watch and gasped. She was late, again, for physical education.

Running to the large gym, she smiled nervously at Coach Oatway and entered the changing room. She wasn't very close to many girls in the class, (there were so few) but being an international student, she had to take physical education to fill in some credits.

She unlocked her gym locker, and pulled out her bag. Kory had no trouble stripping down completely into a brand-new sports bra.

"Jesus Ch-" Katherine started, zipping up her pink hoodie. "She's at it again."

Kory rotated and looked at her with innocent green eyes. Katherine winced and looked down, turning red.

"Oh, don't be such a prude, Katherine," Karen started, tightening the laces on her yellow Nike runners. "It's her body."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "And I don't want to see it."

"Yeah, well, none of us want to see your face and yet you don't see us complaining." Rosabelle Melendez shot back hotly. Karen whooped and high-fived her. Kory smiled at them gratefully.

Katherine huffed and grabbed her water bottle, swinging the door behind her.

"Come on, Kory," Karen warned her, quickly checking her reflection in the mirror. "Coach Oatway is gonna make us run extra laps if we don't hurry up."

"I shall be there immediately!" replied Kory, opening the door for Rosabelle and leaving the change room behind.

* * *

><p>Joseph Wilson regrets a lot of things, and taking band class was one of them.<p>

When the counselor handed back his updated timetable, he repressed a groan. Dance was full, and he didn't want to be stuck doing lights and costumes for his third play in a row. He wanted to sing, he wanted to act, he wanted to dance.

But when he entered the music room, he was glad to see at least one person he knew there; Malcolm Duncan, Karen's boyfriend since freshman year.

Ms. Harlow welcomed Joey with open arms, literally, and walked him to the bass.

"Here you go, Joseph," Ms. Harlow started. "Your father tells me you're very gifted at the guitar. Of course, you can pick any other instrument, _er_, that works just for you."

He let out a soft sigh and took out his paper and pen.

_Mute people can play woodwind instruments._

Ms. Harlow's big blue eyes widened. "Oh, no, no, of course! I knew that, I only meant, since it's your first year in concert band, that you might pick something that you're familiar with."

Joseph nodded, eager to get her to stop talking to him.

"Don't worry, Ms. Harlow, I can show him the ropes." Mal cut in, giving a Jericho a small smile. He put his arm over the blonde boy's shoulder and walked him through the instruments.

"Over there are your flutes, now stay _away_ from them. They can cut you down with a look. They're the overachievers, the ones that took band to fill in more credits and not for the general love of music." Mal instructed, avoiding eye contact with a girl who Joey recognized as one of Jade's friends. She glared at them.

Chuckling nervously, Mal brought him to percussion.

"Now, these are probably the greatest people you will ever meet, besides the brass players," Mal pointed to the back of the music room. "Toni is the lead drummer back there."

She winked at Joseph, tapping her drumsticks. He grinned.

"And yeah," Mal started. "That's all. I think you'll fit in just fine."

Joseph smiled. His father had basically pressured him into taking Band, knowing his gift with acoustic guitar would make it easier for him. As if. He still had to pick an instrument. Most of the percussion were stoners, including Toni, and he didn't have very strong lungs, which basically took him out of the brass section. And he didn't want to sit up front with the woodwinds, where Ms. Harlow would glance at him ever so often.

Sighing, he succumbed to the xylophone, way in the back, where he at least had one friend, but could remain perpetually invisible.


	3. Chapter 3

It's hard to be a cool punk teen rebel when your "parents" let you do anything you want.

Whether it's riding off on strange boys' motorcycles or buying illegal items off the streets, her guardians just don't seem to care. Legally, they're there, but not anywhere near the state of where she lives. Rooming with five other stoners from Jump High, it's not like she was alone. She had Baran, Seymour, Billy, Mikron, and anyone else who needed a place to crash.

So Jeni lives on. She does what Koma Anders tells her to do, and yes, she's part of a drug cartel at sixteen, and yes, she's good at what she does, and yes, she doesn't have plans to stop any time soon. Because the money is good, and she needs to pay rent somehow.

(And maybe there's a pink piggy bank titled "university" under her bed.)

She excels at her classes, because despite her reputation, she's very smart. Specifically in physics and chemistry. There's something about the way things can be so easily changed in physics that attracts her.

And maybe it's because of a jock who sits in the front of the class called Victor. Maybe.

She leaves for school alone (again), because Baran and Billy are sleeping in (again), and Mikron and Seymour annoy her to hell and back. Her phone buzzes in her pocket and she pulls it out to see a text message from Koma.

_im hungover as fuck, _it says._ come pick me up_

She groans. She'll be late for physics, which means Mr. Vince will look her down disappointedly, and she'll miss his powerpoints. Grabbing the keys off the dining table, she finds herself in her empty driveway.

_Mikron and Seymour took the car, _she texts back swiftly. _Sorry._

She leaves the car keys in the house, swings her neon pink bag across her shoulder and begins running.

She arrives out of breath, only five minutes late and gives Mr. Vince a big smile. He says nothing, but points to an empty seat next to Victor. Sliding onto the stool, she takes this opportunity to speak to him.

"So," she begins, her lungs feeling like they're about to collapse. "What did I miss?"

"Just a review on the Density/Mass/Volume Triangle," he replies. "Nothing big. Here, you can take my notes."

Their arms touched. Jeni imploded.

She thanks him, and coughs to cover up how unbelievably high her voice just became.

Their arms are touching all throughout class, and neither one of them move. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a faint blush creeping up across Victor's mocha coloured skin and she practically passes out.

The bell rings seventy minutes later, and she begins to pack up her things, not very eager to leave.

"Hey, Jeni, listen."

The pinkette turns, her stomach flipflopping around internally. "Yeah?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to get together some time after school to study for the physics mid-term. At the library, or something."

"Or something?" she laughed. Can he see the nerves behind her eyes?

"Yeah," Victor let out a breath. "Or something."

"Sounds like a date." she replies, calm, cool and collected. She winks, leaving the lab and moving upstairs to go to her locker.

Jeni Luck is happy, even if she lives in a trash-filled apartment with five other guys, and even though if the police ever found out what she was doing she'd be expelled, and even if people try to tear her down because she hangs with stoners, she is still Jeni Luck. She is still the school's best gymnast, an Principal's Honor Roll recipient, and secured at least three scholarships under her belt.

She doesn't need a good reputation.


	4. Chapter 4

Gar wouldn't call himself invisible per say, but more as if he can't keep up with his older friends.

Victor is his best friend, his entrance to the life of juniors and seniors and everything that they do. If it wasn't for Victor, he'd be stuffed into lockers for his remarks, lose fights due to his scrawny shape, and spend lunch alone.

It's not that he doesn't like his grade, he does. He knows Joseph, Kole and Toni fairly well, but they have their own circle and he doesn't want to impose on that.

When he entered Biology AP, he was welcomed for his knowledge in animal species, and he was partnered with Garth Curry, who was very friendly and whom he recognized as a member of the swim team.

Then he met everyone else. And they welcomed him with open arms. He gets invited to parties (usually Wally's) but Victor and Karen say that he's still pretty young to go there, and to not mess around with the stuff that the seniors do.

"I haven't done anything myself," Karen tells him. "But Mal does. And from what I hear, it can screw you over if you don't do it in moderation."

"Do what in moderation?" Gar always asks her.

"Don't worry about it." Karen and Victor say in unison.

And he drops it.

* * *

><p><span>Third Period<span>  
><span>Physical Education 10<span>

He goes to the gym after lunch and his stomach drops when he sees Madame Rouge is back from her vacation in Normandy. (She insists they call her Madame, and not Mrs., or Ms., like all the other teachers) Repressing a groan, he knows what their next unit will be before she tells them.

"Gymnastics," she starts, in her thick French accent. "'Ees zee sport of stretching and strength. How 'zoo Olympic gymnasts hold 'zose poses for so long? With 'zere muscles. Strong! Tough!"

"I bet that's why gymnasts are so good in bed." Toni muttered, causing Kole to laugh out loud.

"Miss Weathers," Madame Rouge says. "If you'd pleeze come up here on the balance beam and show us a seemple cartwheel."

Kole turns red, but gets up. Gar recognizes her from the skating rink at the community centre next to their school. She's a figure skating medallist, everyone knows it. She excels at spins and jumps and flips. It should be fine.

Climbing up on the brown beam, Kole spread her arms and took a deep breath. And then she throws herself down on the beam, her legs perfectly straight but apart and lands on the end of the beam, arms wide and magenta bangs covering her blue eyes. And she smiles. She jumps off the beam and sits back down next to Toni, who pats her on the shoulder.

"Oui, well done. 'Zat is what I expect all of you to know how to do by 'zee end of 'zis unit. And you 'veel present your routines in front of 'zee class not 'zis Friday, but 'zee next. Off you go!"

Gar turned towards Joseph to ask him to be his check, but he was already partnered with Kole. Gar smiled sheepishly at Toni, who was sitting on the bench.

"Hey, Toni, partner?"

She shook her head. "I have a written excuse. No way will you be seeing me doing this."

He nodded and looked around his class. Everyone had a partner, and he was _not_ about to ask Madame Rouge. And then he spotted a curtain of blonde hair walk into class. Tara gave Madame Rouge a crumpled note.

"Sorry I'm late, I was talking to my counselor." she murmured quietly.

Madame Rouge nodded. "Very vell, our new unit 'ees Gymnastics, so go find yourself a par-"

"Tara! What's crack-a-lackin'? Will you be my check?" Gar pulled her aside, grinning at her widely.

"Um, sure," she cracked a smile. "What are we supposed to be doing?"

"Basically just making sure the other one doesn't fall off the beam," he explained. "So...do you mind going first?"

Tara looked at him blankly. "No, I guess."

She put down her red bag on the dusty mat and took off her track hoodie and shoes. Tying her golden hair into a messy ponytail, she climbed the beam steps with shaky knees.

"I'm really clumsy," she warned him. "If I fall, you don't have to catch me."

"That's not gonna happen."

She took a deep breath and first walked to the end of the beam, shakily, with arms extended.

"Don't look down at your feet," he told her. "Focus on something ahead of you."

Sapphire eyes met emerald.

She stopped on the opposite side of the beam, placing her hands on her hips. "What do I do now?"

He shrugged and grinned at her. "Anything you want."

She returned his smile and jumped off the beam, landing with a soft _thud_. "Very well then, you give it a try. And I'll watch you," She zipped up her track hoodie (much to Gar's dismay) and crossed her arms.

He looked at her for a while and shrugged. "Fine, but prepare to be stunned by these Olympic-worthy skills."

She scoffed. He climbed on the beam, confident in his skills enough to try a cartwheel on it.

Bad idea.

He lost his footing on the middle of the beam and slipped off the wood, falling, falling, falling as two arms snuck underneath his armpits and caught him on the way down. His heels landed on the soft mat. He looked up to see sapphire eyes flitting with concern and laughter.

"Are you okay?" Tara asked him, the left corner of her mouth twisting into a smile.

"Pfft, yeah," He removed himself from his grasp and ruffled his hair. "Thanks."

She shrugged and sat down on the mat. "Might as well practice floor routines."

And they lay there for the last seventy minutes of class, practicing cartwheels, somersaults and flips until the familiar school bell rang, signalling the end of class. Just as it rang, Principal Wilson entered the large gym, his threatening figure amplified by his dark suit.

Tara's eyes widened. She grabbed her gym bag, stuffing her water bottle and text books in it.

"Woah," Gar exclaimed. "What's the rush? I'm always a good two minutes late for class."

Tara turned, tightening her ponytail. "I have a Geometry test." She speed-walked over to the double-doors that were blocked by Principal Wilson and Madame Rouge. She looked at both of them helplessly, and pushed past Mr. Wilson.

He looked at Madame Rouge and showed his teeth (what he did couldn't possibly be described as smiling). He muttered something to her, causing the gymnast to laugh out loud, covering her mouth with a red-manicured hand.

There was definitely something going on there.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>New chapter, finally! Cliffhanger, sort of?

I had to include my favourite pairing into this Highschool!AU, didn't I?

I also published a new 100 word BBTerra so if you want, you can go check that out as well.

As always, please don't favourite without reviewing! c:


	5. Chapter 5

Wally has a bad feeling about tonight. He had everything set up. The drinks, the chasers, the food. (Roy was bringing other stuff, but he didn't discuss any further than that.) Perhaps he had invited too many people, or maybe he had invited not enough people. He put his faith in his friends to get the word out but what if people had actually decided to go to that lame Halloween dance anyway?

His uncle and aunt had left for a wedding out of town and made him swear to not throw any parties.

"Wallace West. Roy, Dick and Garth are coming here to study and that's _it_." his aunt said, twirling her car keys around her finger. "We hear any trace of a party being thrown and we will drive straight back here lightning speed. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Wally gave her his million dollar smile and politely closed the front door behind her. He threw his fist in the air and waited. And waited.

He was just about to sit down to see what was on TV when the doorbell rang.

Speeding over to it, he opened the door to see Victor, Garth, Malcolm, Donna, Dick and that international student he recognized as Koma Anders' sister.

"Greetings!" the international student smiled. "Thank you for inviting us into your home!"

Wally gave her a grin and stepped aside to let his friends in.

"Are we the first ones here?" Donna asked, looking around. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind that I brought Kory, she was feeling down so I invited her-"

"Pft, no problem," Wally replied, waving it off with his hand. "The more chicks, the better."

Donna gave him a look of disgust and went over to the food table.

Soon enough, more and more people had begun to arrive. It started with a couple of seniors, all except Karen who stayed for the Halloween dance. Roy arrived eventually, holding two brown paper bags and beer.

"The fun has arrived, ladies and gentlemen," he exclaimed as he walked in the house. "And I bear gifts!"

Wally's eyes narrowed. "Roy, please tell me that whatever is in that bag is legal."

"Hm," Roy tucked his hand underneath his chin. "It depends what state we're talking about here. And it depends on who you ask. Relax, Wallace, they're just brownies. Koma brought them."

He turned to see Koma Anders walk in with her usual gang, the burnouts. Baran Flinders almost broke his door down when he walked in, and it occured to Wally that he had not invited this many people.

"Jeni!"

Wally saw Victor make his way over to the door to greet the pink haired girl. Her face practically split in two to see him and she immediately seperated herself from her friends to go say hello.

Wally smacked his forehead. "I told my aunt and uncle that there wasn't gonna be a party. If they find drugs here, so help me, God, I will throw you into the bay."

Roy rolled his eyes. "So dramatic. Take a chill pill-"

"I don't want pills!"

"It's a figure of speech, good lord. Have a beer, go flirt with some girls, it's what you do best. Shoo," Roy muttered, his hands ruffling through his hair. "I see a brunette at 10 o'clock. Later."

Wally watched him as he made his way over to the corner where a group of girls were standing. Roy tapped on the shoulder of the shortest girl and ran a hand through his hair before jumping backwards and slamming into the corner of the dining table.

It was Jade Nguyen.

Donna and Kory burst out laughing and hid their smiles behind plastic red cups.

"I get it, Harper. You just can't get enough of me," Jade snickered. "Honestly, I didn't know kissing was so meaningful to you. But then again, when you haven't done it in such a long time-"

Roy turned as red as the apples in the fruit bowl. He began arguing with her before she waved him off with a black manicured hand.

* * *

><p>"So, are you and Katherine a thing now?" Garth asked Dick when they got to the kitchen to refill their cups.<p>

"God, no," Dick shuddered. "She's been spreading rumours that we hooked up and that we're together. It's kind of ridiculous."

Garth laughed. "I heard she has a boyfriend in jail or something. His name's Fang apparently. Probably one of Koma's crooks."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "I can't believe they're here. And I can't believe Roy's getting stuff from them either. He's changing. It's weird."

Garth shrugged it off. "Nah, I think he's still the same guy. He probably just wants to forget that he ever hooked up with Jade."

"Yeah, can you imagine? They've hated each other since the third grade."

Garth laughed, taking a sip out of his cup. "The line between love and hate can be a blurry one, my friend."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Okay, Nicholas Sparks. Okay."

* * *

><p>Donna watched as Kory giggled and drank what was in the cups that were handed to her. A crowd of jocks was already beginning to form around them, and soon enough they were chanting "shots, shots, shots, shots".<p>

Kory slammed down the glass.

"Another!" she belched, her red hair a frizzy mess.

Donna put her hand on her shoulder. "Kory, don't you think you've had enough?"

"The limit does not exist, Donna. My people can handle the most alcoholic of beverages."

Donna sighed as she watched Kory stumble away from the table and towards the kitchen. Donna followed to go pour her a glass of water.

"Yes, hello, good sirs," Kory slurred, looking at Roy, Dick and Garth with a dazed expression. "I am looking for the lavatory. It seems that this is not the lavatory."

"Oh, actually, we just take a dump in the sink," Roy started.

Dick elbowed him in the ribs. Donna shot him a look.

"Alright, Roy, you're disgusting, we get it," Donna commented. "Dick, can you help me get her to Wally's bathroom?"

Dick put down his drink and walked over to her, hitching one of Kory's arms across his shoulder.

"Oh, Dick Grayson, the hero," Roy sneered. "Are you gonna help her pee too?"

Garth smacked him upside the head. "What's your problem? Is it Jade? Did she shoot you down again?"

Roy glared at him and pushed him aside, taking a swig of the remainder in Dick's cup.

"Can you two stop? Let's go, Dick." Donna placed Kory's other arm around her neck and started going upstairs.

"Dear friends! Where are we going?" Kory exclaimed, pressing her face against both of theirs.

"The lavatory," Dick muttered through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the sensation of her skin being pressed against his.

"Oh, how glorious! I enjoy lavatories very much, I spend a lot of time there. Reading and thinking and p-"

Dick turned the doorknob of the bathroom with his other hand, struggling to support Kory's dead weight. Kory went inside, failing to close the door. Donna quickly slammed it shut.

Dick sighed and leaned against the stairwell. "She's heavier than you would think, right?"

Donna laughed, nodding. "Yeah. I just hope she doesn't throw up. It seems all I do nowadays is hold peoples' hair when they barf. Kory, Mom-"

They heard a flush and a sink turning on. And then an "Ow!".

Donna knocked once on the door. "Everything okay in there, Kory?"

"Yes, everything is splendid!" Kory shouted back. "It seems my foot just got attached to a bucket is all!"

Kory opened the door, her red hair still frizzy and looking slightly like a bird's nest, but other than that she looked alright.

"Oh, Donna, my glorious friend. Thank you for getting me to a place where I can urinate freely."

Donna winced. "Oh, no problem, Kory."

"And you!" Kory exclaimed, her green eyes landing on Dick. "You helped! What was your name again?"

"Dick," he replied, although in this context he wished he had said Richard.

She laughed and threw her arms around him. And then cupping his face, she pressed her lips against his.

He froze. He had no idea what to do. All he could think about was the fact that he was kissing a drunk girl he had never spoken to, with Donna watching him and probably other people in the hallway as well and he could taste vodka on her lips and that it actually wasn't_ so bad. _

And then she steps back, and he could count her eyelashes from here, but her green eyes are watery and she's not herself and she probably won't even remember him by tomorrow.

She gives him a friendly smile, as if she hadn't just pounced on him, throws her arm around Donna and makes her way downstairs.

Donna looks at him and shrugs in a way that says, _I have no clue what just happened. _

And Dick stumbled into the bathroom to wipe off the traces of her lipstick, but it didn't leave anything. Shrugging, he made his way downstairs and dodged a vase by a hair's breath. It shattered behind him.

"That was an antique!" Garth exclaimed, rushing over. "Wally's gonna be pissed."

"What the hell is going on?" Dick questioned, his eyes trying to find his friends.

"Roy provoked Baran like the idiot that he is," Garth sighed, dodging a lamp. "He knows that guy has anger issues and he does it anyway. He's not called Mammoth for nothing."

Baran was on top of Roy, beating the archer beneath him to a bloody pulp. Donna let out an aggravated yell and tried to pull Baran off of him, only to be shoved aside. Jade and Kory ran over to her, but she waved them off.

"You'll kill him like that, stop-" Victor yelled as he and Ryo pulled on each of Baran's arms. Eventually they stood the giant up on his feet. He shoved both of them off his arms.

"That'll teach him," he growled.

"Party's over!" Wally yelled. "Everybody clear the fuck out!"

The crowd let out a disappointed moan as they packed up their things and left. Dick and Garth placed Roy on the couch as Donna tended to his wounds. Wally was slamming his head repeatedly on the door.

"I'm so dead," he kept saying. "They'll disown me."

"We'll help you clean up," said Garth, already stacking the unused cups into a tower. "Don't worry, we still have two hours, right?"

"No, actually, they're staying the night."

"Well, there you go, Wally," Donna chimed, putting a soaked bandage on the cuts on Roy's forehead. "Stay positive."

"Is he gonna be alright?" a voice from the kitchen wavered. It was Jade. Behind her was Kory splayed out on two dining chairs, sound asleep.

"What are you still doing here?" Wally retorted, but she ignored him, making her way to Roy.

"You idiot," she muttered under her breath as she took a seat next to the couch.

Dick, Garth and Donna froze. Donna cleared her throat and said she was going to get some more bandages. She pulled Dick and Garth by their collars to the kitchen. She signalled for Wally to follow.

She closed the sliding door behind them. "Oh my goddess, did you _see_ that?"

"Jade Nguyen has a heart," Wally noted. "Who knew?"

Kory let out a yawn, and tried to get up from her chairs, only to slip and fall in between the two.

"Actually, dear friends," Kory starts. "Jade is merely thankful for what Roy did."

Garth raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Baran had been trying to, er, 'hook up' with Jade. She did not reciprocate feelings. I believe the correct term that Baran used was 'cold blooded skank'."

"That misogynistic bastard," Donna fumed. "Going around, slut-shaming girls-"

Wally stopped her before she could continue her rant. "And then what did Roy do?"

Kory blinked. "Oh, I did not hear what he said, but I know that Baran was very angry and became very violent."

"Oh my god," Donna exclaimed, letting out a deep sigh. "They're in love. They don't know it yet. But they are."

"Yeah, and Roy's an idiot," Dick scoffed. "He knows Jade is the best martial artist out there, she can fight her own battles. Love, love, love. And what is it good for? Absoloutely nothing."

"Oh, come on, Dick," Wally rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a Debbie Downer. Now, let's surprise them and see if they're making out."

Donna slid open the door and they all stepped outside. Jade was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it, she was my ride," Donna groaned as they made their way to the couch. Roy was still asleep.

"If you guys help me clean up," Wally rested his hands on the top of his head, looking around the room. "I can drive you guys home."

"Nah," Dick muttered, pulling out Wally's vacuum cleaner from the cupboard. "I'll drive them, but we'll help you clean up anyway."

Two hours later, they had finally left the house spotless. Kory and Donna took out the trash, Dick vacuumed, Wally washed dishes, Garth dusted and Roy slept.

* * *

><p>Kory had sobered up at this point, fixed her appearance and picked up her purse to leave. They all got in Dick's car and waved goodbye to what was a very distressed and tired Wally.<p>

Donna sat in front as Roy laid on top of Garth and Kory's laps. It wasn't crammed, considering what a big car Dick drove. Garth was dropped off first, and his dad seemed to be the most relaxed when Dick pulled up in the driveway.

Donna blew a kiss to Kory as she got out of the car, thanking Dick for the ride and sneaking into the house as quietly as possible.

And then it was just Kory and Dick. And a snoring Roy, of course.

Kory tried desperately to make conversation, but either Dick wouldn't reply or only in one word answers.

When they reached her host family's house, she thanked him for the ride and gently laid down Roy's head to the side.

"Wait."

She stopped, her eyes meeting his in the rearview mirror.

"Kory, right?" he said, turning around.

She liked the way he said her name.

"Yes."

"Can I ask you something?"

She hated those words. She hated confrontation.

"You are wondering why we had lip contact," she said.

"Er," Dick turned red. "Kissing. But yeah."

Kory nodded. It was always better to rip the bandage off.

"I suppose I just felt like kissing you," she shrugged. "And you're one of the only boys at school who are kind to me. _And_ who can tell me apart from my sister."

Dick felt ashamed he didn't know which class they had together. He looked away.

"On my first day, I asked you where my Algebra classroom was," she began. "And you were the first one who did not lie to me."

"Oh, well, that's just the right thing to do-"

"And you were the first one to do the right thing," she replied, giving him a small smile. He returned it.

"Well, I thank you for escorting me home," said Kory, breaking the comfortable silence. "I will see you around, Dick Grayson."

And with that, she left the car, taking out her keys from her purse, still slightly stumbling before reaching her door.

He waited until she was inside and the door was locked. That's what you're supposed to do, right?


	6. Chapter 6

Mal held open the door for Joseph as they entered the community centre. They were going to the library to study for that music theory test, but Mal had to go pick up his cousin Amandla from ballet practice. Joseph stood at the main entrance, his eyes landing on the ice rink.

To his surprise, the rink was already in use, and it was only October.

A figure skater is warming up across the rink, stretching her arms above her head, her rib cage poking through her tight shirt. He'd recognize that pink hair anywhere.

He lets his bag drop to the floor and leans against the glass, interested.

Kole is young and lithe, but the loose skirt and tight shirt she's wearing let Joseph see that small as she is, she is solid muscle. She skates with the ease of long practice, sliding across the ice as if she was born with the skates laced onto her feet. She is doing small things now, small leaps to warm up, ducking, turning to the beat of the music of her earbuds, eyes heavy-lidded.

In the bright lighting of the rink they look cornflower blue. Her movements are graceful and easy, so Joseph decides to stick around and watch, sitting down.

After a few more wide laps, the skater begins to gather momentum and stretch her limbs, working through some token artistic skating poses. Even with her left leg high in the air, her right skate slides without trembling on top of the ice, arms and body perfectly balanced. Her skating really is superb. It gains complexity as time moves on; she moves from basic skating skills to advanced ones, warming up her muscles to abrupt turns and flawlessly executed stops of varied abruptness, never once wobbling or hesitating.

Finally she moves onto advanced maneuvers. Leaps and turns and abilities that make Joseph stare in awe. He doesn't know the names of the moves, but he can appreciate their difficulty. Gripping the blade of the left foot to stretch it back over her head; turning on one spot dozens of times, and Joseph doesn't understand how she manages not to vomit at the speed with which she spins.

From the corner of his eye, he sees Mal exit the ballet studio, holding Amandla's hand and sits down on the seat next to Joseph.

Joseph watches, entranced, admiring the ease and the relaxation of Kole, compelled by the obvious delight, listening to the minute sounds as she throws power into a move to complete it. A leap, a turn, a turn followed by a leap, unbelievable moves Joseph could never hope to achieve.

Crescendo and conclusion. Kole gathers speed and momentum and throws everything into a flying turn, spinning in the air—lands on the right foot, overbalances, crashes into the ice and against the wall. Joseph scrambles to his feet, shocked at the catastrophe, and goes to the opening to the rink, but even as he reaches it she is sitting up already, wincing but unharmed.

"You alright?" Mal yells across, reluctant to step onto the ice in his sneakers.

"I'm fine," Kole answers wearily, tugging her earplugs away from her ears before rubbing her right shoulder.

"Did you get hurt?"

"No more than usual," Kole called back, painfully pulling herself onto her feet. "Hey, wait, is that Joseph?"

Joseph grinned and waved. Kole smiled and skated over, slower now and still rubbing her right shoulder.

"The triple axel gets me every time. How awful did it look?"

Joseph blinked and considered. _It looked amazing. I just think you put too much power onto it._

The figure skater drags a hand down her face, cheeks reddened by exertion and the cold of the rink, blue eyes stunning.

"Yeah, that's always the problem. So, what are you two doing here?"

_We have to study for a music theory test_, Joseph signed.

"Yeah, Toni told me about it," Kole nodded, her eyes spotting the small girl in the pink tutu. "Hi there! What's your name?"

The girl smiled shyly, but hid behind Mal's jeans.

"Amandla," she said, voice barely above a whisper.

"Hi, Amandla. I'm Kole."

"Yeah, I know," she said, her voice louder and more confident now. "Mal says Joseph mentions you all the time."

Joseph felt the heat rush to his face. Kole looked at him, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"That's because we're best friends," Kole smiled. "Anyway, I better get back to practice. Nice seeing you guys. Oh, and Joseph, remember study session for mid-terms at Toni's next week."

Joseph nods, making his way to the library. They sit down at a table in the corner as Amandla goes to get a children's book. Ten minutes in the study session, he says he has to go to the washroom and finds himself next to the rink once again.

Kole executes several other skills, twice more tries to do the axel and fails. Every time she gets up and does it again. Joseph knows she must be covered in bruises and aching all over; the ice is harsh to land on and the velocity and power of the movements must make it even harder.

Around ten minutes before three, the hockey team starts arriving. Joseph knows he needs to go and study for the music theory test, but for a moment he lingers where he sits. Kole is sitting on the ice, breathing harshly, leaning her elbows on her knees. Finally she wipes a gloved hand under her nose, and gets up and skates slowly to the edge. As she starts unlacing her skates, Joseph gets up and returns to library.

He sits down across from Mal and opens up his music binder, not meeting Amandla or Mal in the eyes.

"You sure spent a while in the washroom," Mal commented, writing down notes.

"Joey had to do number two," Amandla announced, flipping the page of a Robert Munch book.

Joseph laughed silently, shaking his head. _There was a line-up._

"Sure, sure," Mal rolled his eyes. "A line-up to watch Kole maybe."

Joseph turned red. _I don't know what you're talking about._

"Joey, you've got it bad," Amandla told him, the words sounding so strange coming from a seven year old's mouth. "Joey and Kole sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-"

Joseph shushed her (the one thing he could do), putting a finger to his lips. Even though Amandla couldn't read sign language like Mal and Kole could, she could read body language and she could read it well.

"Okay, okay, Joey," Amandla's brown eyes twinkled. "I get it, you don't want anyone to know. But _I_ know. And _you_ know. Just tell her, you fool!"

Joseph groaned_. If telling her was as easy as second grade, I would. _


End file.
